Red Lake mass shooting survivor reflects on tragedy 20 years later
A car passed a sign of support on State Highway 89 on the way to the Red Lake Reservation March 23, 2005, in Red Lake, Minn., two days after a mass shooting left 10 people dead and seven injured.
Jeff Haynes | AFP via Getty Images file
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Friday marks 20 years since the tragic mass shooting on the Red Lake Nation that left 10 people dead and seven injured.
On March 21, 2005, a Red Lake High School student killed five of his classmates, a teacher, the school security guard, his grandfather and his grandfather’s partner. The shooter died by a self-inflicted gunshot.
At the time, the Red Lake shooting was the largest school shooting in the U.S. since the Columbine massacre.
Starr Jourdain was at Red Lake High School on the day of the shooting and now serves as the chair of 3.21.05 Memorial Fund, a memorial group formed by survivors that honors the victims of the shooting. Jourdain joined Minnesota Now to reflect on the 20 years that have passed since the tragedy.
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Correction (March 20, 2025): A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of classmates killed. The above story has been updated.
Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Tomorrow, Friday, will mark 20 years since the tragic mass shooting on the Red Lake Nation that left 10 people dead and seven injured. On march 21, 2005, a Red Lake High School student killed seven of his classmates, the school security guard, his grandfather, and his grandfather's partner.
It shook not only the Red Lake community to its core, but the nation. At the time, the Red Lake shooting was the largest school shooting in the US since the Columbine massacre.
Starr Jourdain was a student at Red Lake High School, and was at school the day of the shooting. Now, she's the chair of a memorial group that honors its victims. Starr is here with us to reflect on the 20 years that have passed since that terrible day.
Starr, thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate you.
STARR JOURDAIN: Hello. Thank you for having me today. Appreciate it.
NINA MOINI: Appreciate you, Starr. It sounds like you've really shown a lot of leadership in your community, taking on this role of honoring the people who lost their lives, and the people who survived, and lost loved ones, and were forever changed by this tragic event.
I'm curious to know if you want to share, how this time of year generally feels for you, and how it feels this year.
STARR JOURDAIN: Just this past week, it just felt-- it just feels kind of heavy this past week. Like, it don't feel-- it feels surreal. That's what it feels like.
And then until finally-- until the day finally gets here, and then it all-- it all comes together, and like, oh, it's that day again, 20 years later.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Does that 20 feel significant to you in any way, or does it feel like other years?
STARR JOURDAIN: No, this year feels like, different than the other years.
NINA MOINI: Just because it's been so long, or how so?
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah, just-- it's just been so long. Like I was a kid. Now-- now, I'm an adult now. Definitely feels different.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And no matter the time that passes, right, it's important to be remembering and to be honoring the survivors, the victims. And I understand that's why you started the memorial nonprofit back in 2022. Will you tell us about it? It's called 3.21.05.
STARR JOURDAIN: The 3.21.05 Memorial Fund/Project came about in 2022. Five classmates, which were survivors, and are also friends, came together with an idea of having one built, because there hasn't been one on their reservation yet.
NINA MOINI: And so--
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah, we just kind of--
NINA MOINI: Go ahead.
STARR JOURDAIN: Sorry. Yeah, we just kind of went about it and just taking it, you know, step-by-step, process by process. And so far, so good. We got pretty far within the past year and a half.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Will you tell me a little bit about the physical memorial that you all want to build? Like what would it look like and symbolize?
STARR JOURDAIN: It's going to look-- it's going to look amazing when it's done. We've got to look at render pictures. It's going to be beside the Red Lake Nation College, lake view. It'll be-- it's kind of-- kind of like a circle, a circle with a long walkway, with some benches in it, and some art on it.
And then, yeah, the families will have their own place for their child on there, their loved ones on there.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, that sounds beautiful. So where are you all in the process of being able to fund that and get that going?
STARR JOURDAIN: Right now, we're funding. Like, right now, we're on the hunt for like money-- like money and all that. And just recently, we got awarded a grant from Midwest Memory. We were one of eight teams selected.
NINA MOINI: OK.
STARR JOURDAIN: And that's huge for us. It's like, yeah, it's pretty amazing.
NINA MOINI: Amazing. And I think that, you know, the fact that it's been 20 years when something like this happens, I would imagine that it impacts the entire community in a way that is almost, you can't go back, right? So I'm curious to know, how would you explain to people like, how this tragic event changed Red Lake?
STARR JOURDAIN: It changed-- it's kind of tough. Like, it made people more desensitized. Like, no one-- like, no one likes to talk about it. And the grief with other people like that.
And sometimes-- I don't know. It's just hard to talk about. And when you bring it up, they just-- people just change the subject and all that.
But we found it good to talk about, because it's healing us, you know, members and us kids, to heal us, and then heal the others around us.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And I think, sometimes, that's why a memorial can be helpful, right? Because you could just go there and sit and be, like, in peace and with your thoughts. You don't have to talk a bunch.
Was that part of the thinking? What was part of the thinking with that memorial?
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah, just coming together. Coming together as one, a community, for a place to heal and reflect and stuff like that.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And for kids today or younger people who don't have memories of that time, what do you hope could be done to just, you know, continue to honor what happened, but not talk about it in a way that's going to make it feel worse for people, but to continue to tell the story and keep those memories? What do you think?
STARR JOURDAIN: Just, you know, just keep doing what we're doing, you know? And try to be more-- try to create more awareness to our kids, and tell our stories more to the young youth, and, you know, just be involved more with them and-- for generations to come.
NINA MOINI: I'm curious to know if 3.21.05 has other things in the work, or what else are you all working on?
STARR JOURDAIN: The funding right now, and then design, more designing in the work. Sometimes designs change.
What else we got? We got-- I don't know, just staying busy.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I know, it's going to be a process here, but it sounds like you all are well on your way. And we're excited for the memorial to be created. And we hope you'll come back when that happens.
STARR JOURDAIN: Mm-hmm.
NINA MOINI: OK? Thank you very much, Starr.
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Thank you. Take care.
STARR JOURDAIN: Thank you.
NINA MOINI: That was 3.21.05 Memorial Fund Chair Starr Jourdain.
It shook not only the Red Lake community to its core, but the nation. At the time, the Red Lake shooting was the largest school shooting in the US since the Columbine massacre.
Starr Jourdain was a student at Red Lake High School, and was at school the day of the shooting. Now, she's the chair of a memorial group that honors its victims. Starr is here with us to reflect on the 20 years that have passed since that terrible day.
Starr, thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate you.
STARR JOURDAIN: Hello. Thank you for having me today. Appreciate it.
NINA MOINI: Appreciate you, Starr. It sounds like you've really shown a lot of leadership in your community, taking on this role of honoring the people who lost their lives, and the people who survived, and lost loved ones, and were forever changed by this tragic event.
I'm curious to know if you want to share, how this time of year generally feels for you, and how it feels this year.
STARR JOURDAIN: Just this past week, it just felt-- it just feels kind of heavy this past week. Like, it don't feel-- it feels surreal. That's what it feels like.
And then until finally-- until the day finally gets here, and then it all-- it all comes together, and like, oh, it's that day again, 20 years later.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Does that 20 feel significant to you in any way, or does it feel like other years?
STARR JOURDAIN: No, this year feels like, different than the other years.
NINA MOINI: Just because it's been so long, or how so?
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah, just-- it's just been so long. Like I was a kid. Now-- now, I'm an adult now. Definitely feels different.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And no matter the time that passes, right, it's important to be remembering and to be honoring the survivors, the victims. And I understand that's why you started the memorial nonprofit back in 2022. Will you tell us about it? It's called 3.21.05.
STARR JOURDAIN: The 3.21.05 Memorial Fund/Project came about in 2022. Five classmates, which were survivors, and are also friends, came together with an idea of having one built, because there hasn't been one on their reservation yet.
NINA MOINI: And so--
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah, we just kind of--
NINA MOINI: Go ahead.
STARR JOURDAIN: Sorry. Yeah, we just kind of went about it and just taking it, you know, step-by-step, process by process. And so far, so good. We got pretty far within the past year and a half.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Will you tell me a little bit about the physical memorial that you all want to build? Like what would it look like and symbolize?
STARR JOURDAIN: It's going to look-- it's going to look amazing when it's done. We've got to look at render pictures. It's going to be beside the Red Lake Nation College, lake view. It'll be-- it's kind of-- kind of like a circle, a circle with a long walkway, with some benches in it, and some art on it.
And then, yeah, the families will have their own place for their child on there, their loved ones on there.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, that sounds beautiful. So where are you all in the process of being able to fund that and get that going?
STARR JOURDAIN: Right now, we're funding. Like, right now, we're on the hunt for like money-- like money and all that. And just recently, we got awarded a grant from Midwest Memory. We were one of eight teams selected.
NINA MOINI: OK.
STARR JOURDAIN: And that's huge for us. It's like, yeah, it's pretty amazing.
NINA MOINI: Amazing. And I think that, you know, the fact that it's been 20 years when something like this happens, I would imagine that it impacts the entire community in a way that is almost, you can't go back, right? So I'm curious to know, how would you explain to people like, how this tragic event changed Red Lake?
STARR JOURDAIN: It changed-- it's kind of tough. Like, it made people more desensitized. Like, no one-- like, no one likes to talk about it. And the grief with other people like that.
And sometimes-- I don't know. It's just hard to talk about. And when you bring it up, they just-- people just change the subject and all that.
But we found it good to talk about, because it's healing us, you know, members and us kids, to heal us, and then heal the others around us.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And I think, sometimes, that's why a memorial can be helpful, right? Because you could just go there and sit and be, like, in peace and with your thoughts. You don't have to talk a bunch.
Was that part of the thinking? What was part of the thinking with that memorial?
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah, just coming together. Coming together as one, a community, for a place to heal and reflect and stuff like that.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And for kids today or younger people who don't have memories of that time, what do you hope could be done to just, you know, continue to honor what happened, but not talk about it in a way that's going to make it feel worse for people, but to continue to tell the story and keep those memories? What do you think?
STARR JOURDAIN: Just, you know, just keep doing what we're doing, you know? And try to be more-- try to create more awareness to our kids, and tell our stories more to the young youth, and, you know, just be involved more with them and-- for generations to come.
NINA MOINI: I'm curious to know if 3.21.05 has other things in the work, or what else are you all working on?
STARR JOURDAIN: The funding right now, and then design, more designing in the work. Sometimes designs change.
What else we got? We got-- I don't know, just staying busy.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I know, it's going to be a process here, but it sounds like you all are well on your way. And we're excited for the memorial to be created. And we hope you'll come back when that happens.
STARR JOURDAIN: Mm-hmm.
NINA MOINI: OK? Thank you very much, Starr.
STARR JOURDAIN: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Thank you. Take care.
STARR JOURDAIN: Thank you.
NINA MOINI: That was 3.21.05 Memorial Fund Chair Starr Jourdain.
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